Penitential Rite
Luke will serve as “all.”
Officiant:
Friends, it is in vain that we rise up so early, and go so late to rest, and eat the bread of anxiety: for God gives sleep to his beloved.
Dear God,
thank you for all that is good,
for our creation and for our humanity,
for the stewardship you have given us of this planet Earth,
for the gifts of life and of one another,
for your love, which is unbounded and eternal.
Let us come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden, to ask for forgiveness and peace.
A moment of silence is kept.
Officiant:
We have wounded your love.
All:
O God, heal us.
Officiant:
We stumble in the darkness.
All:
Light of the world, transfigure us.
Officiant:
We forget that we are your home.
All:
Spirit of God, dwell in us.
Officiant:
Eternal Spirit, living God,
in whom we live and move and have our being,
all that we are, have been, and shall be is known to you,
to the very secret of our hearts
and all that rises to trouble us.
Living flame, burn into us,
cleansing wind, blow through us,
fountain of water, well up within us,
that we may love and praise in deed and in truth.
May the God of Love have mercy on us, pardon us, and set us free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. May God strengthen us in all goodness and keep us in life eternal.
All:
Amen
Opening Sentences
Philip will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Compline hymn:
Te Lucis ante Terminum
(Sarum Rite Plainchant, Festal Tone)
Luke will sing verses 1 and 3; Philip will sing verse 2.
Before the end of the light,
we beg you, creator of all,
that you, with familiar mercy,
might be the leader of our care.
Let troubled dreams withdraw to the distance.
Silence our enemy
and all deceptions of the night,
that our bodies may rest secure.
Be present, omnipotent father,
through the Lord, Jesus Christ,
who with you forever
reigns with the Holy Spirit.
Psalmody
The psalms are sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Philip will sing the opening antiphon.
Antiphon: Have mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4 (Coverdale)
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Leader:
Hear me when I call, O God of my right-eousness *
Responder:
thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble; have mercy upon me, and hearken un-to my prayer.
Leader:
O ye sons of men, how long will ye blaspheme mine hon-our *
Responder:
and have such pleasure in vanity, and seek af-ter leas-ing?
Leader:
Know this also, that the Lord hath chosen to himself the man that is god-ly *
Responder:
when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
Leader:
Stand in awe, and sin ◊ not: commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still *
Responder:
Offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.
Leader:
There be many that say, *
Responder:
“Who will shew us an-y good?”
Leader:
Lord, lift thou up *
Responder:
the light of thy counte-nance up-on us.
Leader:
Thou hast put gladness in my heart *
Responder:
since the time that their corn, and wine, and oil increased.
Leader:
I will lay me down in ◊ peace, and take my rest *
Responder:
for it is thou, Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safe-ty.
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Ghost,
Leader:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
Responder:
world with-out end. A-men.
Psalm 91 (BCP, adapted)
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Leader:
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, *
Responder:
who abide under the shadow of the Al-might-y.
Leader:
shall say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my strong-hold, *
Responder:
my God in whom I put my trust.”
Leader:
He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunt-er *
Responder:
and from the dead-ly pes-tilence.
Leader:
He shall cover you with his pin-◊-ions, and you shall find refuge under his wings; *
Responder:
his faithfulness shall be a shield and buck-ler.
Leader:
You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, *
Responder:
nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Leader:
of the plague that stalks in the dark-ness, *
Responder:
nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day.
Leader:
Your eyes have only to be-hold *
Responder:
to see the reward of the wick-ed.
Leader:
Because you have made the Lord your ref-uge, *
Responder:
and the Most High your hab-i-ta-tion,
Leader:
there shall no evil happen to you, *
Responder:
neither shall any plague come near your dwell-ing.
Leader:
For he shall give his angels charge over you, *
Responder:
to keep you in all your ways.
Leader:
They shall bear you in their hands, *
Responder:
lest you dash your foot a-gainst a stone.
Leader:
You shall tread upon the lion and the ad-der; *
Responder:
you shall trample the young lion and the serpent un-der your feet.
Leader:
“Because they are bound to me in ◊ love, therefore will I de-liv-er them; *
Responder:
I will protect them, because they know my Name.
Leader:
They shall call upon me, and I will an-◊-swer them; I am with them in trou-ble; *
Responder:
I will rescue them and bring them to hon-or.
Leader:
With long life will I sat-isfy them, *
Responder:
and show them my sal-va-tion.”
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spir-it,
Leader:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
Responder:
world with-out end. A-men.
Luke will sing the ending antiphon.
Antiphon: Have mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Short Reading
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader chants the reading:
Deuteronomy 6:4–7 (NRSV)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
Responsories
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
All sing an aleatoric responsory:
Epitaph
Text by Sarah Williams; music by F.J. Haydn (details)
- Philip sings the melody once, ending on “oo.”
- Everyone sings the melody, starting at different times and moving at different speeds, ending by returning to “oo.”
- Once everyone is singing “oo,” gradually fade into silence.
Prayers
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the Lord’s Prayer:
All continue silently until “and lead us not …”:
… who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us …
and then conclude:
A moment of silence is kept.
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the collects:
Leader:
Leader:
O most mighty and merciful God,
in this time of grievous sickness,
we flee unto thee for succour.
Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril;
give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick;
prosper the means made use of for their cure;
and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is,
we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom
which leadeth to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All:
Leader:
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake.
All:
Leader:
Be present, Spirit of God,
within us, your dwelling place and home,
that this house may be one where
all darkness is penetrated by your light,
all troubles calmed by your peace,
all evil redeemed by your love,
all pain transformed in your suffering,
and all dying glorified in your risen life.
All:
Leader:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord,
and by thy great mercy defend us
from all perils and dangers of this night;
through Jesus Christ our savior,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
All:
After the collects, we will keep a moment of silence to call to mind our concerns, reflections, intentions, and reasons for thankfulness. Those who wish to share them aloud will be invited to do so.
Canticle
The canticle is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Nunc Dimittis: Luke 2:29–32
Leader:
Lord, you now have set your ser-vant free *
Responder:
to go in peace as you have pro-mised,
Leader:
For with my eyes I have seen *
Responder:
your sal-va-tion,
Leader:
→ which you have pre-pared *
Responder:
before the sight of all peo-ple:
Leader:
A light to shine through all na -tions *
Responder:
and the glory of your peo-ple,Isra-el.
Leader:
Glo -ry be to the Fa-ther, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
Leader:
As it was in the be-gin-ning, is now, *
Responder:
and will be fore-ver. A-men.
Benediction
Luke will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Marian antiphon:
Salve, Regina
(Gregorian Chant, Simple Tone)
Philip will sing part A; Luke will sing part B.
Hail, Queen, mother of mercy;
Our light, our sweetness, and our hope, hail!
We cry out to you, we exiles, children of Eve.
We sigh for you, groaning and weeping, in this valley of tears.
Ah! Therefore, our advocate,
those merciful eyes of yours—turn them to us.
And Jesus, the blessed fruit of you womb—after this exile,
point him out to us.
O gentle, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
It is traditional to end Compline with a few moments for silent reflection.